Electrical connector



Dec. 28, 1948. BQUR 2,457,119

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed March 1, 1943 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Paul. L 50 I -3- A'ITORNEY 2 Dec. 28, 1948. P. BOUR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1943 P461. L EDI/E ATTORNEY Dec. 28, 1948. P. L. BOUR ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 1, 1943 INVENTOR PHI/L L. 501/)? A'ITORN EY Patented 1'... 2a, 1948 2,457,119 announcer. ooNnEc'ron Paul L. Bour, Paris, France, minor to international Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y.,'a corporation of Delaware Application March 1, 1943, Serial No, 477,644 In France March 6, 1942 7 Claims. (Cl. 173-328) The present invention relates to electrical connectors having a plurality of contacts.

One object of the invention is to provide connectors capable of accommodating a reat number of plugs and contact sockets in a relatively limited space.

Another object of the invention is to provide multiple contact connectors, which can be easily assembled, and which may be easily adapted to various purposes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide multiple contact connectors with cable outlet elements adlustable to any desired direction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide junction elements for connectors of the type mentioned and also protective covers to be applied thereto when the connectors are not in use.

These and other objects which will appear more clearly as the specification proceeds, are accomplished, according to the present invention by means of the combination and arrangement of elements described in the following specification, set forth in the appended claims and iilustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a substantially vertical section through one embodiment of a multiple contact connector according to the present invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are top elevatlonal views of the connector according to Fig. 1 shown with the top cover plate and control knob in place, and after removal of these parts, respectively;

Figs. 4a, b, c and d, respectively, are side elevations and partial sections of the four basic elements of a slightly modifiedconnector, shown prior to its assembly. Fig. 4a illustrates the base plate carrying the contact sockets, Fig. 4b the movable plug carrier, Fig. 4c the envelope with the cable outlet nozzle and Fig. 4d the cover and control knob;

Figs. 5 and 6 are top elevational views of two connectors with modified envelopes;

, Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical sections at right angles to each other of another embodiment of a connector according to the invention;

Fig. 9 is a top elevational view of the connector shown in Fig. 8 under omission of the cover and control knob;

Fig. 10 is a substantially vertical section, partly in elevation of a connector base portion according to the invention as combined with a suitable junction box and a protective cover; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view oi. a protective cover for the top part of a connector according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d thereof, the rectangular connectors shown in these figures consist essentially of four parts (see Figs. 4a to 4d). I (Fig. 4a) denotes a two-part base plate molded from insulating material and including a number of female contact elements or contact sockets 2 housed in the cells 8 in which they are locked after assembly of the base plate I, with a certain play suflicient to compensate for the inevitable inaccuracies in the manufacture of the molded elements. The base plate I carries in its center a vertical guide rod 4 for the movable part of the connector. A marker pin 5 projects upwardly from the base I and cooperates with an opening to in the adiacent movable connector element to prevent a reversal of the connections. The stems 6 of the contact sockets 2 pass through and project downwardly from the base plate I, their lower ends being adapted to be soldered to the corresponding conductors.

The insulating base plate I is composed of two parts, viz. the upper member I in which the cells 3 are formed and the lower member 8 provided with holes for the stems 6 of the contact sockets 2. The two members I and 8 are secured together by means of two threaded fastening elements, i. e. a screw 9 and a screw-threaded downward extension ill of the marker pin 5. The two fastener elements 9 and I0 engage, respectively, into two internally threaded bushings II, I! cast in the lower base member 8.

The movable part of the connector comprises three elements, as shown in Figs. 4b to 4d. l3 (Fig. 4b) is an insulating plate into which the contact pins l4 are molded in relative positions corresponding to those of the cells 3 in the member I. Molded into the plate l3 are four upwardly projecting spacer posts l5 provided with threaded bores to receive the fastening, screws l6 for the cover I! (Fig. 4d).

A protective envelope I8 (Fig. 4c), which carries the cable outlet nozzle I9, is clamped after assembly of the connector, between the tops of the spacer posts l5 and the cover II. For this purpose the envelope has an inwardly projecting flange or rim, as shown. This envelope is completely independent of the operation of the connector and serves merely as a protector for the connections and as support for the cable outlet nozzle. It may be replaced by other envelopes of similar shape with one or more cable outlet nozzles projecting in any desired direction. Thus, the en- -velope shown in Fig. 4c differs from that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 in that in Figs. 1 to 3 the cable outlet nozzle lea is aligned with the short axis of the connector, whereas, according to Fig. 4c, the cable outlet nozzle I9 is aligned with the long connector axis.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate, by way of example, two rectangular connector assemblies with envelopes IBD and H30, respectively, embodying two further modifications. In Fig. 5, the cable outlet nozzle 20 is shown as emerging from a corner of the envelope l8b at an angle of 45 to the connector axes, and in Fig. 6 three outlet nozzles 2|, 22 and 23 are provided on the envelope l8c to permit a connection with various apparatus.

In a device of the type described, the force necessary to insert a contact pin into the corresponding contact socket must be multiplied by the number of contacts provided in the connector. According to the invention, this operation is facilitated by a screw mechanism carried by the cover. This screw mechanism comprises a collar 24 rigid with the cover IT, a sleeve 25 rotatable in said collar 24 and having both its ends projecting from said collar, and a control button 26, keyed to the upper end of the sleeve 25, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The lower projecting portion 25a of the sleeve 25 is internally threaded, and, when a connection is to be established, the portion 25a is screwed onto the screw-threaded portion 21 of the guide rod 4, thereby drawing the movable aggregate i3, i1, I8, 24, 25, 26 towards the base plate I and causing a progressive penetration of the contact pins l4 into the sockets 2. Unscrewing of the sleeve 25 by means of the knob 26 causes a reversed operation and a withdrawal of the contact pins i l from the sockets 2.

Gaskets 28 and 29 may be provided to seal the connector tightly against dust and moisture.

In order to facilitate the arrangement of the cable conductors, all contact pins and cells are provided with numbers, marked on the accompanying faces of the various insulating plates as shown in Fig. 3.

The central guide rod 4 may be provided with a stem Go (see Fig. 1) adapted to be grounded. Thus, the metallic envelope I8 is connected to ground through the posts i5, cover I'I, collar 24, sleeve 25 and guide rod 4, and serves as an efiective screen for the connector.

The invention is not limited to rectangular connectors, but may be equally well applied to connectors of completely different shapes. For example, a cylindrical connector, constructed in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. The general arrangement of this cylindrical connector corresponds substantially to that described heretofore with respect to rectangular connectors, as indicated by the reference characters. However, the cylindrical connector contains, in addition to the previously mentioned parts, a blocking element which makes it possible to turn the envelope l8a freely about the axis of the connector for the purpose of adjusting the cable outlet nozzle to any desired direction, as required by the position of the connector Within the electrical equipment of which it forms a part, for example to facilitate the passing of the cables between the existing. elements of such equipment.

This is accomplished, according to the invention, by the interposition of an annular member 30 with ears 30a on the one hand between the posts I50: and the inwardly bent annular rim 3| 7 of the envelope la, and on the other hand between said parts I54; and the cover Ila. The entire assembly containing the insulating plate 131',

post II, annular member 30, envelope Ila and cover "a, is clamped together and held in position by means of the screws [8 after the cable outlet nozzle l9b has been adjusted to the desired direction and the cable conductors have been properly Joined to the upper ends of the contact pins Ma. The adjustment of the envelope l8a can be effected through 360 without any limitation of the angle, because none of the structural elements of the connector prevents such rotation. When the screws it are tightened, the envelope Ilia with its cable outlet nozzle I9!) is secured in the adjusted position.

In this embodiment of the invention, the marker pin is replaced by a key member 33 extending into a groove of the plate I31: and preventing the plate i 3a and contact pins l4 from being entrained when the envelope i8a is rotated.

As can be seen in Figs. 1 and 8, the connector may be secured to a support by means of screws 32. However, according to a specific embodiment of the invention, a suitable junction box may be provided, as shown in Fig. 10, to receive the base plate i of the connector. The junction box 35 comprises a, cable outlet nozzle 36 receiving one end of a cable 31. The junction box is secured to the connector by means of the screws 32. For the protection of the conductors and soldered joints, an insulating closure plate 38 is secured to the bottom of the junction box 35 by means of screws 39.

When the connector is not used, its movable part is removed and only the fixed part remains in place. This fixed part may then be protected by means of a cap 40 formed, for instance in the case of a cylindrical connector, with a central internally screw threaded post 4i, which can be screwed on the threaded portion 2'! of the guide rod 4.

The movable part of the connector, on the other hand, may be protected by an insulating cover 45, as shown, by way of example, in Fig. 11. The body 42 of this insulating cover is provided with a central threaded boss 43, which fits into the threaded end portion 25a of the sleeve 25. The cover 45 may be fixed to a wall or other support and, for this purpose, it is molded with recesses 44 to receive screw-heads. However, a thin layer of material is left between the recesses 44 and the outer surface of the cover 45, and this layer is pierced only if the cover is attached to a support by means of screws and serves to make the cover dust and waterproof if it is used without being attached to a support. A gasket 46 forms part of the protective cover.

It should be noted that a connector according to the invention will be capable of operating without any envelope i8, 18a. This makes it possible to check the correct plugging in of the contact pins and to measure the voltages applied to the contact pins when the connector operates.

When several connectors are mounted next to each other, they may be distinguished, for instance, by different color dots in the depressions 41 and 48 on the envelope corresponding to similar dots 49 and 50 on the contact pin support [3a and on the insulating member 1a which together with a lower insulating member 8a forms a base plate.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but is capable of various modifications and variations within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical multi-contact connector having a fixed element and a movable element, the latter comprising an insulating plate carrying a plurality of contact elements and a plurality of spacer posts, a cover resting upon and being releasably secured to said spacer posts, and an envelope encircling said insulating plate and spacer posts and including at least one cable outlet nozzle projecting from said envelope in a predetermined direction, said envelope having an inwardly bent rim portion adapted to be clamped between said posts and said cover.

2. An electrical multi-contact connector of cylindrical shape having a substantially discshaped fixed element and a movable element, the latter comprising an insulating disc carrying a plurality of contact elements and a plurality of spacer posts arranged along a circle near the peripheral edge of said disk, a substantially diskshaped cover resting upon and being releasably secured to said spacer posts, and a cylindrical envelope encircling said insulating plate and spacer posts and including a substantially radially projecting cable outlet nozzle, said envelope having an inwardly bent annular rim portion adapted to be clamped between said posts and said cover in such a manner that, upon release of said cover from said posts, said envelope may be freely rotated about the axis of said connector to adjust said cable outlet nozzle to any desired direction.

3. An electrical connector having two relatively movable elements, said elements carrying respectively a set oi contact sockets and a set of cooperating contact plugs, one said element carrying a cover member spaced therefrom, means including bolt and sleeve connection located substantially centrally for guiding and holding the elements together, an enclosing envelope cooperating with said cover, surrounding the said elements and having a cable outlet nozzle.

4. An electrical connector according to claim 3 in which the enclosing envelope is adjustable to different positions about the bolt and sleeve connection to provide a cable outlet in difierent directions.

5. An electrical connector according to claim 3 in which the enclosing envelope is of cylindrical form, whereby the cable outlet may be positioned 5 at any angle.

6. An electrical connector comprising fixed alement and a movable element, a cover, spacer posts on the movable element, said elements carrying, respectively, a plurality of contact sockets and contact plugs to engage said sockets, a central guide rod mounted on one of said elements and having a threaded portion, a central guide sleeve on the other element having an independently threaded part to engage said threaded portion of the said guide rod, said guide member on said fixed connector element being rigid therewith, said guide member in said movable member being held against axial displacement with respect to said movable element and being rotatable relatively thereto, a control knob keyed to said guide member on said movable element for manual rotation thereof, and an enclosing envelope carried by said movable connector element and surrounding said elements and said stationary posts and having an inwardly bent rim, and means for clamping the same between said posts and said cover whereby such surrounding envelope may be positioned in any one of a plurality of positions to facilitate the connecting of the said connector to external apparatus.

7. An electrical connector according to claim 3, in which said one element carrying the cover is provided with a plurality of spacer posts and in which an annular member is provided in the envelope between said envelope and the spacer posts, said annular member having a plurality of ears and means for clamping said envelope and annular member together between said cover and spacer posts, to secure said envelope in any preadjusted angular position.

PAUL L. BOUR.

REFERENCES orrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,722,816 Meunier July 30, 1929 2,068,399 Dash Jan. 19, 1937 2,126,674 Stout Aug. 9. 1938 2,265,363 Fisher Dec. 9, 1941 2,286,952 Cannon et al June 16, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 545,602 Great Britain June 4, 1942 

